Reydovan Empire
The Reydovan Empire (full name: Imperial Reydovan Empire) is a fictional empire set in the Star Trek online roleplaying universe. Created by long-time Star Trek fan Joshua Underwood in February 2001, it has undergone many incarnations, and those who have read some of Underwood's fan fiction or seen him roleplay out his stories know that this is the one he focuses on the most. His trademark character in all Reydovan roleplays is a futuristic version of himself, who he claims received genetic treatment to give him incredible longevity. Some of the names - particularly that of the character who served as the first Emperor, which he called "Kiran Joshmaul" - "might sound silly, but everyone usually just takes it as I write it out," Underwood explains. "I also usually piece things together as I go." Symbol of the Empire Underwood uses the "University of Planet" emblem from the game Alpha Centauri, created by the well-known game designer Sid Meier. He believes this symbol best represents the scientist's nature of Emperor Joshmaul. 12 Member Systems The Reydovan Empire has twelve primary member systems, and forty-eight planets. Bradley System: Primary border system (Klingon Empire). Eight member planets. Carmel System: Capital: Carmel Prime. Three member planets. Iago System: Capital: Iago I. Five member planets. Korolev System: Primary border system (UFP). Capital: Korolev Prime. One member planet. MacDonald System: Primary center of dilithium mining. Capital: Kyrador (MacDonald IV). Six member planets. Myst System: Center of culture. Capital: Releeshahn. Nine member planets. Occult System: Primary center of olivium ore mining. Capital: Belle Terre. One member planet. Reydovan System: Center of the Empire. Capital: Reydovan Prime. Four member planets. Sirrus/Achenar System: Binary star system. Capital: Haven I. Four member planets. Sugia System: Capital: Sugilar (Sugia III). Two member planets. Tiberius System: Site of the primary maximum security prison in the Empire. Capital: Tiberius Prime. Four member planets. Tyrus System: Capital: Tyrus IV. One member planet. Note: Myst and Occult systems come from two different sources. The name Myst is from the popular game series of the same name (the capital planet, Releeshahn, is named for the Age book you must recover in Myst III: Exile) created by Rand and Robyn Miller in the 1990s. Underwood has been a fan of these games since the original Myst was released; he has even speculated bringing Atrus - Rand Miller's character from the games - into the Star Trek world as a potential crossover. The second system, Occult, is from the "New Earth" book series. Underwood thought that having it be far outside Federation space - which, technically, it is - would be best to keep within the spirit of the books, considering that the trip was a very long one for the Starship Enterprise and the 60,000 colonists who were taken there in 2272. Neighbors and Relations The Reydovan Empire shares borders with the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, the Nyberite Alliance, and the Tholian Assembly. There have been no official contacts between the Empire and the Tholians or the Nyberites; it is assumed that relations are neutral. The Empire is temporarily allied with the Federation and the Klingons, and presently at war with the Reydovan Separatist Confederacy (a nomadic terrorist organization). Negotiations are currently underway with the defeated Romulan Star Empire, who was forced to call a cease-fire due to the withdrawal of the Hydran Kingdom. At present, Federation relations are being called into question, due to the supposed self-centered attitude of Starfleet Command and the belief - at least by the Emperor - that the Federation is becoming a military dictatorship. Calendar System and Holidays The Reydovan Empire uses a 365-day calendar, much like the Earth Standard calendar. However, while the Earth Standard year begins on January 1, the Reydovan year begins on October 12 - the day after the Empire was founded. There are only three major holidays in the Empire: Independence Day, Victory Day and Christmas. October 11, the last official day of the Reydovan year, is Independence Day, the day the Reydovan Empire was established. Christmas Day, December 25, is the 85th day on the Reydovan calendar, and is the only Earth holiday still celebrated in the Empire. Victory Day, August 11 (day 304) marks the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Korolev, which ended the war with the United Federation of Planets. The other two days of note are not official holidays, but are still celebrated by the people of the Empire. They are the birthdays of the Empire's two greatest leaders: Kiran Joshmaul, April 11 (day 192) and Joshua Underwood, June 5 (day 237). The numbers after February 28 on the Reydovan calendar (day 150) may vary due to leap years; for instance, in a leap year, Kiran Joshmaul's birthday would be the 193rd day, Joshua Underwood's birthday would be the 238th, Victory Day would be the 305th, and Independence Day would be the 366th. How the Empire Came About: OOC A "Reydovan Sector" was mentioned in the novelization for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; it was the sector where the U.S.S. Excelsior was cataloging gaseous anomalies. Underwood thought the name might sound interesting for an empire of his own in one of his roleplaying games, and thus the Reydovan Empire was created sometime in February of 2001. How the Empire Came About: IC The Reydovan Empire was founded on October 11, 2296, with the coronation of Emperor Kiran Joshmaul I by his friend Joshua Underwood in Imperial City, Reydovan Prime. Joshmaul and Underwood: The Founders of the Empire Two long-lived humans of the Eugenics War era, Kiran Joshmaul and Joshua Underwood were once influential and long-standing Starfleet admirals; Joshmaul was a member of the Starfleet General Staff, while Underwood had taken over for James T. Kirk as the head of Starfleet Operations. In the last year of his Starfleet service, Joshmaul had been a vocal critic of the decision making of Starfleet and the Federation Council since the end of the disasterous Kznti Incursion in 2272, and the revelation of Starfleet running covert operations against the Kzin well before the Incursion began. It became so inflamed that Joshmaul was joined by at least nine star systems, including the Reydovan system, in declaring open rebellion. The Council could not allow a civil war within the Federation and so arrested Joshmaul before he could open hostilities. On March 17, 2276, Joshmaul was tried for his rebellious actions. His service was the only thing that kept him from a penal colony, and so he was sentenced to rehabilitation. His friend Joshua Underwood was forced to take him to the rehab colony. However, as Underwood's ship, the Mary D. Anderson, passed by Io, it vanished without a trace. It was revealed decades later that a temporal anomaly had swallowed the Anderson and its entire crew. The Anderson was trapped in the temporal rift for two decades, before emerging in the Reydovan system on August 10, 2296. They were found by scout ships from Reydovan Prime and taken before the independent council that now governed the planet. The word spread to the twelve major systems in the sector and the Conclave of Serenia was convened the following day. The Reydovan leaders brought to Joshmaul's attention the "blatantly illegal" treaty signed five years earlier (under coercion) that kept the Reydovan systems from confederating into their own independent state; while Joshmaul was hesitant, the leaders seemed willing to break it. They discussed how a new empire would be forged, and once all the terms were made, Joshmaul agreed to become the Reydovan Empire's first monarch. The Conclave adjourned on October 10, 2296. The following day, Joshmaul was crowned the first Emperor of the Reydovan Empire. Once in power, Emperor Joshmaul appointed Joshua Underwood as commander of the Imperial Navy and Daniel Longstreet as the head of the Imperial Marine Corps (the Imperial Army was not established until 2370), and created the Imperial Guard to serve as the police force for the Empire, and also as praetorians to the Emperor himself. He solidified his position quickly, appointing ministers and a council of the planetary leaders to serve as his advisors. Underwood remained his chief advisor. He would need all of Underwood's expertise two years later, when the Federation discovered that Joshmaul had returned - and had violated a very detailed treaty... War with the Federation In 2298, the Federation Starfleet was vastly depleted as a result of the Khitomer Accords; the Fleet had mostly disarmed over the years, particularly along the Klingon Neutral Zone. When they discovered Joshmaul was alive and leading his own Empire, they sent a fleet of starships under Admiral Daniel Neill - Joshmaul's successor in the General Staff - to quell this "rebellion". The results were devastating; Neill was captured, and the task force all but destroyed. Neill realized that in order to avoid execution, he would have to swear loyalty to Joshmaul - and that is exactly what he did. The Federation Council went into an uproar. It was divided on the "Reydovan issue" as it stood; a good deal of the Council voted to recognize the Empire as a legitimate state; the remainder, including the reigning President, Ra-ghoratrei of Delta IV (who had signed the Khitomer Accords five years earlier), were opposed to this move. It would place a "hostile power" right on the border between the Federation and the Klingons. The issue would be decided in battle, and for three years, the Reydovan Empire and the Federation went back and forth, but gained little ground. Finally, tiring of the pointless bloodshed, Ra-ghoratrei contacted Grand Admiral Underwood, the supreme commander of the Emperor's forces, to discuss a treaty. A cease-fire was called on April 7, 2301. The Federation and Reydovan officials met on Korolev Prime and decided on the terms of the treaty that would end the pointless conflict. The Treaty of Korolev in its final form was officially signed on August 11, 2301, defining the border between the Reydovan Empire and the Federation, as well as securing Joshmaul's legitimacy as Emperor. The Calm Before the Storm Joshmaul ruled peacefully as Emperor for twenty years after the end of the war, but he soon realized that the details of running the government might be too much for one man alone. In 2321, he appointed Grand Admiral Underwood as the first Imperial Chancellor, to handle all the administrative details of the government. Through that time period, Joshmaul managed to keep the peace, but by 2348, things were starting to turn awry with the Sha'kurian Duchies, and soon it degenerated into open war. In mid-2349, an assault was needed, and a commander was needed to lead it. The Emperor asked for a man capable of leading smaller forces head on into the larger Sha'kurian force. One hand went up - 48-year-old Major General Jeremiah Neill, who had been promoted twice over the course of the war, and was known as a "reckless son-of-a-bitch", as Daniel Longstreet put it. (Ironically enough, Neill's nephew, Jonathan Ross, was referred to quite similarly by the same man, twenty-five years later.) With Neill leading a small force into that battle, they managed to destroy their opponents with few losses, due to the hit-and-run tactics that Neill favored. The war ended in 2350 in a decisive Imperial victory. Re-Establishing Relations The Reydovan Empire was involved in the Dominion War as an ally of the Federation, but only for the course of the war. Once it ended, the Empire returned to its pre-war relations. Emperor Joshmaul, however, wished to change that. Through former Reydovan officer - and noted Starfleet Marine general - Jonathan Ross, Joshmaul learned of a great movement in the Federation to re-establish contact with their neighbors to the galactic south. Realizing the potential, Joshmaul abdicated and returned to Starfleet. Not long afterwards, Artimus Devaneaux conquered the Empire and began a reign of terror that threatened the Federation itself. Artimus remains Emperor to this day, though there is a movement to overthrow him. Notable Reydovans General Artimus Lucanus Devaneaux (Artimus I) (2328-) - "Artimus the Defiler" Current Emperor of the Reydovan Empire, former Imperial Marine Corps officer Admiral Dr. Kiran Joshmaul, MD/CX (Joshmaul I) (1960-) - "Joshmaul the Great", First Emperor of the Reydovan Empire (2296-2375), currently serving as Chief of Starfleet Operations Marshal of the Reydovan Empire Alexander Petrovich Britanov (2290-), Regent Lord of the Montagne Noire Province, commander of the loyalist Imperial Guard Grand Admiral Dr. Joshua Wardell Underwood, Ed.D, Ph.D, MD/CX (1987-) - Chancellor-in-Exile, leader of the exiled Council of Nobles, commander of the loyalist Imperial Navy Commanding General Jeremiah Robert Neill (2301-) - Count of the Easthaven Province and titular head of House Neill (even in UFP service), commander of the Starfleet Marine Corps, former deputy commander of the Imperial Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Ross Joseph Neill (2328- ) - Jeremiah's eldest son, commander of the Marine battalion stationed onboard U.S.S. Shadowcat Grand Admiral Kieran Elias Devaneaux (2355-) - Son of Artimus and Anastasia, Warmaster of the loyalist Reydovan Military Body Commanding General Daniel James Longstreet (2195-2375) - former commander of the Imperial Marine Corps, commander of the Starfleet Marine Corps until his death at the Battle of Cardassia Major General Jonathan Franklin Ross (2347-) - former captain in the Imperial Marine Corps, now senior field commander of Starfleet Marine Corps Rear Admiral Charles Darwin Tomwood (2332-), Commander of the Chancellor's Grand Fleet General Vladimir Ilych Tscholivosky (Ret.) (2293-), Grand Duke and titular head of House Tscholivosky, retired Imperial Guard officer, member of the exiled Council of Nobles under Chancellor Joshua Underwood High Councillor Gavriil Vladimirovich Tscholivosky (2328-), Grand Duke of the Caymarnian Province, former Chancellor under Artimus Devaneaux, member of the exiled Council of Nobles under Chancellor Joshua Underwood General David Robert Highland (2320-) former commander of Reydovan Homeworld Defense under Kiran Joshmaul and Joshua Underwood; brevet Major General in the SFMC aiding in Reydovan Prime's liberation Fleet Admiral Henry Frederick Tyers (2324-), Baron of the New Avalon Province, former commander of Reydovan Homeworld Defense under Artimus Devaneaux, member of the exiled Council of Nobles under Chancellor Joshua Underwood Lady Anastasia Britanov-Devaneaux (2328-) - Duchess Regent and titular head of House Devaneaux, Alexander Britanov's granddaughter (from his son Mikhail), ex-wife of Artimus Devaneaux, member of the exiled Council of Nobles under Chancellor Joshua Underwood Other Articles Reydovan military ranks --Joshmaul 17:04, 26 Aug 2005 (UTC) Category: RPG Category: Reydovan_Empire